Doing TIFF with a difference and Benedict Cumberbatch spotting

I’ve done the Toronto International Film Festival as accredited media when I was covering an entertainment maternity leave at Sympatico. It was fun and extremely tiring – our team worked for 11 days straight covering films, pressers and the parties. I slept for two days straight after the festival.

This year I decided to do it as a civilian – buy a ticket package, chose my films and line up with the crowd. No press screenings, no media pass, no nothing. Just lining up with the rest of Toronto. I did it with my friend, Diane, who wrote about the experience here. 

That means doing a red carpet crowd and the rush line. I’m a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch so my friend Diane and I decided to hit the red carpet for The Fifth Estate gala. I’m blogging about it over at my day gig: Global News.

Not a bad shot considering I wasn’t in front and had to shoot over a few people.

Some video. Apologies for the vertical shooting. The decision to shoot some was very last minute and not planned.